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It is said that there are two kinds of Purushas in this world — the perishable and the imperishable — and that beings are perishable, but the highest are the perfected ones who are unchanging and imperishable.
- Purusha – a Divine Individual (like You)
- Imperishable (akṣhara) – unchanging and indestructible
- Unchanging (kūṭastha) – ‘the Absolute, the Highest; the highest position in the midst of the multitude’, those who are ‘perfected and liberated’.
As embodied beings, we are subject to change and are perishable. The highest in our world however, are not Beings in this sense. They are those living among us who, even though they may appear as human beings in every way, have achieved the highest. They are the avatars and immortal masters who have graced us with their presence on our world, to add a much needed dose of Enlightenment and Reality into the mix of adharma, superficiality, suffering and self-interest.
God In You
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Thus, the first Purusha, who is another highest Self and is said to enter and support the three worlds, is known as the indestructible Ishvara.
- Purusha – A Divine Individual in the Absolute who perceives other Divine Individuals
- The First and Highest Purusha was the first purusha to awaken to his own existence (asmita, ‘I am’). This first purusha is called Purushottama, but he is known as Ishvara when seated in a body with the embodied one (You).
- The Three Worlds – the body with its three divisions: the world of Brahmā, the Creator, the world of Vishnu, the Sustainer, and the world of Shiva, the Transformer.
Now we see that there is one Purusha who is the highest of all. You experience this Purusha, who is other than you, as your Highest Self. This Divine Other is Purushottama, known to you as Ishvara, God in you, the witness within.
Ishvara can be seen and recognized in meditation practiced correctly (see “The Darshan of the Self“). Ishvara, with whom you are united and who experiences what you experience, is your Highest Self (paramatma).
God the Father
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Because I transcend the perishable, and am higher than the imperishable, I am known in the World and in the Vedas as Purushottama (‘First and Highest Purusha’).
He is beyond all Others. He is higher than all other Divine Individual entities of all kinds, simply because he was the first Individual to awaken to his own existence, and to accept all other Individuals as the same, and as the same as Himself. Because He was the first to do this, He was the first one not compelled to come into Being as human, a god, or other kinds of beings including the many demigods, angels, etc.
When we pray or invoke God thinking of God in a personal way, we are addressing this First and Highest Purusha: Purushottama.
- Purushottama – ‘First and Highest Purusha’. Purushottama is Personal God, who has accompanied you into embodiment, and is known to you as Ishvara, your Highest Self. He is also known as Vishnu (all-pervasive), whose avatara is Lord Krishna, Arjuna’s guru.
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Thus one who is without confusion or doubt and knows Me as Purushottama, is all-knowing. He surrenders only to Me with his whole being.
In the sadhana of Surrender Meditation, we surrender to this Absolute God, and nothing else.
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Thus is this secret teaching disclosed by Me, O Faultless One. Comprehending it, one is enlightened, and all that is to be accomplished gets accomplished.
A secret is something that is hidden.
“One is enlightened” One who understands what Lord Krishna has revealed is enlightened. Now that Arjuna has received and understood Lord Krishna’s teachings, he is enlightened and everything that has to be done in order to reach the final goal, will get done.
Enlightenment must come about. It is not the end of the road, but it paves the road. The end is within sight, but without enlightenment, it is not.
A secret is something that is not understood.
In the Guru Gita (Song of the Guru), it is stated that God and Guru and Self are to be thought of with the same devotion, for they are truly connected in this way — they are the same, and they are other-than-you.
One who is enlightened can see the secrets.
God the Mother
From the Guru Gita (The Guru’s Song):
Lord Shiva is responding to Parvati’s questions: “Know for certain that the conscious Self and the Guru are truly one, and for this reason, one who is wise will seek his Guru. Because of the darkness within the mind, the secret knowledge of Truth is concealed, but by Her light and the Guru’s word, the Mother of all comes to be revealed.”
Commentary of Swami Narayananda:
“Teachers (gurus) derive the maximum joy and happiness when eager seekers ask pertinent questions. The heart of the Guru always seeks for sincere students. This is the reason for their joy. It is but natural that one gets joy when he gets what he wants. A thirsty man is satisfied with water, the hungry man with food. But teachers are satisfied when they get suitable and deserving students to whom they can unburden their knowledge. Without a deserving student the teacher feels the burden of his knowledge, and considers his efforts fruitful when the students eagerly question and eagerly practice the teachings.”
Namaste (I bow to the divine one that you really are),
Durga Ma
durgama.com
Surrender Meditation
Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga
Spontaneous Experiential Meditation
Slip into a natural state of meditation with ease. Experience the relief of reaching a true meditative state without any effort and without using your will.
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Increase your knowledge base and begin Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga, Surrender Meditation. Though correct knowledge you will increase your progress by a thousand times, and bring about even deeper meditation and amazing experiences.
Shaktipat Intensives with Durga Ma are held in Phoenix, Arizona
